1. Field
Methods and apparatuses consistent with the exemplary embodiments relate to an optical modulator that adjusts a refractive angle of light by using surface plasmon, and a method of manufacturing the optical modulator.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical integrated circuit is an optical circuit obtained by integrating, on a single substrate, various optical devices for performing various functions such as light emission, light detection, light amplification, light modulation, etc. For example, a light source, a photodetector, an optical waveguide, a lens, a diffraction grating, an optical switch, etc. may be integrated on a single substrate. An optical integrated circuit may be applied to a variety of fields such as optical recording/reproducing apparatuses, optical communication apparatuses, display apparatuses, optical computers, etc.
An optical device has a fast processing speed due to its use of light. While an electrical device has decreased its size down to tens to hundreds of nanometers, an optical device is difficult to have a size reduced less than a wavelength of used light due to a light diffraction limitation characteristic. Accordingly, it is difficult to manufacture an optical device having a size of several micrometers or less. Thus, there is a limitation in manufacturing an optical integrated circuit by using the optical devices. To address this issue, an optical modulator that may be applied to a high density integrated circuit has been studied.